Applicator swab and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

A swab is formed of an elongated support having knit terry pile mounted thereon to form a head. The head is fixed to the support by cementing, staples, binding and/or folding of the support to form a U-shape. The head may also be fastened to the support by quilting. Another method of fastening the head on the support is to fasten a corner of a quadrilateral of knit terry pile to the support at an end of the support, folding the pile to cover the end, and wrapping the thusly folded pile around the support.

CROSS-RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of my earlier Application Ser. No.929,324, filed July 31, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,955.

This invention relates to applicator swabs and to methods of making thesame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wide variety of applicator swabs are known by means of which asubstance may be applied to a receiving surface such as the human skinor the like.

One such swab is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,332,859 (Hartford Sweet)wherein is shown a sealed cylindrical container having a weakenedportion and a hollow wick fitted within the container. A medicament isused to fill the tube and the wick is employed to facilitate theapplication of the medicament.

In U.S. Pat. No. 1,962,875 (S. M. Reber) there is disclosed a supportingstem having a head arranged at the end thereof with a plurality ofabsorbent washers being mounted on the stem and a barb being provided onthe stem over which the washers pass for holding the washers compressedlongitudinally of the stem and against the head.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,490,168 (Oscar Strauss) shows a head arranged on a stemwith the head comprising a porous or spongy body such as sponge rubber.The object of this arrangement is to insure the application ofmedication to remote cavities and passages such as sinuses.

In U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,403 there is shown a swab stick provided with atip of absorbent gauze material at one end thereof. A blister containinga supply of medicament is embedded in the gauze tip such that slightbending or squeezing of the tip will break the blister and allow itscontents to ooze out and soak into the surrounding gauze.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,623 (Carl Avery) discloses a swabbing tip for anapplicator tube in the form of a cotton-like sheet whose margins arefolded inwardly and stuffed into the tube to leave a rounded domeadjacent the end of the tube. The inner face of the sheet is lined witha resilient foam-like layer which enables the size of the dome to beincreased while making the dome more quickly saturable.

None of the aforesaid swabs or applicators provide a gentle abrasiveaction such as is required in many applications while preserving many ofthe other features desirable in such structures.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved swab orapplicator which can be gently abrasive.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved swab, thehead of which is less likely to come apart than in constructionsheretofore known.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved swab whichis washable and reusable and which is for this and other purposesstronger than those heretofore known.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved swab which ismore absorbent than those heretofore known and which is capable oflifting more debris from the surface being treated.

Advantageously, the swabs of the invention are quite useful in a widevariety of applications such as cleaning typewriter keys, cleaningcamera lenses, cleaning and restoring oil paintings, applying make-upand removing the same, applying medications, cleaning wounds, removingnail polish, cleaning small and odd shaped places, effecting personalcleanliness, cleaning jewelry and the like, cleaning musical instrumentsand the like, cleaning grout between bathroom tiles, and so forth.

Moreover, swabs of the invention are useful in cleaning spots fromclothing, cleaning wet paint from windows, cleaning leaves on houseplants, being used as a substitute for a pastry brush, applying shoepolish, applying water repellant silicone to shoes, cleaning louvers andshutters, and so forth.

Swabs of the invention as have been discussed above are characterized bygentle abrasiveness. They can remove more debris than conventional andpreviously known swabs because, as will be shown, loops are providedwhich can hold material and elevate the same away from the site thereof.

The swabs of the invention are provided with soft cushion tips which aresofter and thicker than cotton swabs and will hold substantially moremoisture. The tips or heads of the swabs of the invention are secure andwill not come off. They are, as has been noted above, washable and willcome clean in soap and water after many circumstances of use.

Advantageously, the swabs of the invention will not shred or fragment aswill cotton swabs. They are advantageously useful in other areas suchas, for example, applying butter to corn on the cob or mustard to hotdogs, and so forth.

The swabs of the invention can, moreover, be made in a variety of colorsand can be arranged in little holders, for example, of plastic inupright position wherein they will resemble plants or the like with aplastic bubble being fit thereon for purposes of cleanliness.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided more particularly, aswab comprising an elongated support, and a swabbing head on saidsupport, said head being of a terry cloth such as knit terry pile. Tofasten the head to the support there may be employed an adhesive.Alternatively, a staple may be employed or, still further, a binding maybe employed holding the head on the support.

As an alternative, the support and head may be formed of a U-shape withthe head located at the bight of the U. This enables the head to belocked on the support without the possibility of displacementtherealong.

The cloth may include a foundation of Jersey with a pile of cottonthereon and may preferably be of a weight of 6.50 ounces per squareyard±about 20%. The pile may, for example, also be of cotton andpolyester blend but, in addition, may be of such other substances asflax or rayon.

According to one method of making a swab in accordance with theinvention, the pile may be wrapped around the support and the supportfolded over to form a U-shape as noted above, with the pile at the bightof the U. The pile may be cemented to the support in this arrangement byway of example. Furthermore, a binding may be wrapped around the pileand support to lock the two together.

According to another method of the invention, there is contemplatedstitching the head to the support. Specifically, the pile may be foldedto form an elogated U-shaped member and a plurality of supports may beinserted in parallel relationship at spaced stations therein. The pileis then sewn or quilted so that the horizontal and vertical stitcheshold the pile to the supports which may thereafter be separated to formseparate swabs.

According to yet another method of the invention, it is possible tofasten a corner of a quadrilateral of pile to the support at an endthereof and thereafter fold the pile to cover the end and wrap thethusly folded pile around the support.

Some of the above techniques of the invention may be employed with otherthan terry cloth material, however, terry cloth material constitutes thepreferred embodiment of the invention.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill be found in the detailed description of preferred embodiments whichfollow hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates a terry cloth quadrilateral prior to application ofthe same;

FIG. 2 illustrates an elongated support to which the terry cloth of FIG.1 is to be applied;

FIG. 3 illustrates the application of the terry cloth to the support;

FIG. 4 illustrates deformation of the support and terry cloth to form aswab in accordance with one technique of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a further modification of the swab illustrated inFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a quilting technique for fastening terry cloth headsto elongated supports;

FIG. 7 illustrates the beginning of another method of the inventionwherein a square of terry cloth is stapled to a support;

FIG. 8 illustrates the folding over of the terry cloth of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 illustrates the wrapping around of the terry cloth pilecompleting the method also illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the various methods of the invention may be used with a varietyof materials to form the tip or head of the swab of the invention, terrycloth, such as knit terry pile constitutes the head in the preferredembodiment of the invention. The characteristics of the terry cloth arepreferably as follows:

    ______________________________________                                        Fabric type:   knitted terry pile                                             Basic knit type:                                                                             24 cut Jersey                                                  Stitch count:  24 wales × 22 courses (±30%)                                         (wale = No./linear inch vertical)                                             (course = No./linear inch horizontal                           Finished fabric weight:                                                                      6.50 ounces/square yard (±20%)                              Bursting strength:                                                                           134 pounds (±30%)                                           Fiber content (by weight):                                                                   cotton: 66%, polyester: 33%                                    Fiber distribution:                                                                          fabric mixture; 100% cotton pile                                              100% polyester foundation                                      Yarn details:  pile: 100% cotton; size 30/1                                                  foundation: 100% polyester                                                    size: 180 denier                                                              type: textured stretch                                         ______________________________________                                    

The fabric is preferably scoured and bleached. This will greatlyincrease the fabric's absorbency since polyesters are normally coatedwith lubricating oils while cotton contains up to 10% by weight ofnatural waxes. The hand is also improved. Scouring is the more importantfactor. Bleaching is only necessary when bright colors are desiredand/or for fast to light pastels.

Finishes are available which will retard or increase this fabric'spresent absorbency rate. A Mercerized cotton, for example, will havegreater total absorbency plus greater strength, easier laundering, andoptional luster as compared to the same pre-Mercerized cotton.

Other cellulosic fibers such as flax (linen) and rayons can besubstituted for cotton. Flax is costly, difficult to bleach or dye andis less flexible than cotton or rayon. Rayon comes in many types butgenerally is weaker than cotton especially when wet. HWM or polynosicrayons, however, come close to cotton and offer subtle advantages overcotton in some applications. All rayons absorb more water than cotton,but dry at a slower rate.

The polyester yarn is a type of texturized stretch yarn of which thereare many types (Banlon, Helanca, etc). Any thermoplastic filament yarnmay be likewise processed such as triacetete or nylon. This yarn typeprovides a limited reserve stretch and elasticity to that realizedthrough knit construction (rib knit provides more lateral stretch). Mostimportant, however, is the stabilizing effect that polyester has on anyfabric. In this respect no other fiber is superior. The use of mixedyarns rather than a blended cotton/poly type accounts for this fabric'shigh bursting strength, high elasticity, and high pile absorbency.

The support employed in the swab of the invention may also be of a widevariety of types. Thus, for example, the support may be of plastic,wood, cardboard, paper, and so forth. By way of example, the support maybe a stick of about 31/2 inches in length (folded length) fabricated ofplastic and provided with smooth rounded edges and ends.

FIG. 1 illustrates a quadrilateral 10 of terry cloth material such asknit terry pile, the characteristics of which have been mentioned above.This quadrilateral may be a rectangle having for example, the dimensionsof 1 inch by 11/2 inches.

FIG. 2 illustrates an elongated support 12 having at the center thereofa serration or an application of adhesive indicated generally at 14.This adhesive may be a thermally responsive adhesive or may be, forexample, a pressure responsive adhesive. Other types of adhesives arealso useful.

FIG. 3 illustrates that the knit terry pile 10 is wrapped around thecenter of the support 12 and is fastened thereto by means of theaforesaid adhesive.

FIG. 4 illustrates that the elongated support 12 is folded, preferablyin half, to form a U-shaped structure having two legs, 16 and 18juxtaposed in face to face relationship and forming a bight whereat theterry cloth 12 is also formed into a U-shaped structure positioned onthe bight and therefore prevented from being displaced longitudinallyalong the support 12. The legs can be heat sealed or stitched together.

The swab illustrated in FIG. 4 is shown in further modified condition inFIG. 5. Therein is the swab having the terry pile head 10 mounted on thesupport 12 and having a binding of yarn generally indicated at 20wrapped around the head at the base thereof to fasten the head and thesupport more securely together.

In accordance with a further method of the invention a piece of knitterry pile indicated at 22 is provided in the form of an elongatedU-shaped member between the legs of which are inserted a plurality ofsupports such as those indicated at 24,26,28,30,32 and 34. Thesesupports are preferably in parallel relationship and are equidistantlyspaced while at the same time being inserted between the legs areopposing faces of the terry pile as was noted hereinabove.

In order to lock the supports to the terry pile, there is provided aquilting pattern of stitches such as indicated at 36 and 38 for thehorizontal stitches and at 40 and 42 for the vertical stitches. Thereare two such rows of vertical stitches between adjacent supports andpreferably two or more horizontal rows of stitches to lock the varioussupports to the terry pile.

In the illustration of FIG. 6 it is to be noted that the applicators arecut apart from one another such as by making an incision betweenvertical seams 40 and 42. On the other hand, it is the horizontal rowsof stitches 36 and 38 which penetrate through and make engagement withthe supports so that the heads of the applicators are locked to thesupports.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a further method of the invention. Thus, in FIG. 7a quadrilateral 48 of terry pile is stapled to a support 50 by means ofa staple 52 which may be of metallic type. Thereafter, the terry pile 48is folded over to form a U-shaped structure having a bight 54 coveringthe end of the support 52 whereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the flagof terry cloth 48 is wrapped around the support 50 and held thereateither by a binding or by cement.

The use of the terry cloth advantageously provides a gentle abrasivenesswhich has not been available in swabs heretofore employed. Moreover, theuse of terry cloth enables the achieving of the many advantages andobjectives which have been stated hereinabove.

The methods of the invention while particularly useful with terry clothwill also find use in connection with other types of materials.Therefore, it is to be considered that the methods of the invention arenot strictly limited to the use of terry cloth even though terry clothconstitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention.

There will now be obvious to those skilled in the art many modificationsand variations of the structures and methods set forth hereinabove.These modifications and variations will not depart from the scope of theinvention if defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a swab comprising mountingterry cloth on an elongated support having a length in the order ofmagnitude of about 31/2 inches to form a head thereon, the cloth beingfabricated of knit terry pile, the pile being wrapped around the supportand the support being folded to form a U-shape having a bight, The pilebeing located at the bight of the U, and wrapping a binding around thepile and support.
 2. A method of making a swab comprising mounting terrycloth on an elongated support having a length in the order of magnitudeof about 31/2 inches to form a head thereon, the cloth being fabricatedof knit terry pile, and sewing the head to the support.
 3. A method ofmaking a swab comprising mounting terry cloth on an elongated supporthaving a length in the order of magnitude of about 31/2 inches to form ahead thereon, the cloth being fabricated of knit terry pile, folding thepile to form an U-shaped member and inserting a plurality of supportsinto the thusly folded pile, and sewing the pile to the supports.
 4. Amethod of making a swab comprising mounting terry cloth on an elongatedsupport having a length in the order of magnitude of about 31/2 inchesto form a head thereon, the cloth being fabricated of knit terry pile,fastening a corner of a quadrilateral of pile to said support at an endof the latter, folding the pile to cover the end, and wrapping thethusly folded pile around the support.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 4wherein the pile is stapled to the support.